ARGENTINA 2014

Even though the Argentine team crashed out in the Quarter Finals, a young side with an abundance of attacking talent has every reason to feel confident going into the first South American World Cup since 1978 - where the Albiceleste came out on top on home soil.

Current coach Diego Maradona is still umming and aahing his position with the same spectacle and media-friendly soundbites with which he has conducted his entire reign. Whoever is in charge come 2014, however, will find the most pressing worries come in defence - positively calamitous against Germany, there will be more questions posed with the unavailability of Walter Samuel, Gabriel Heinze and Javier Zanetti. The rest of the team will have a rather familiar look to it:

Goalkeeper Sergio Romero did nothing to disgrace himself in South Africa, and at only 27 next time around will have more bigtime experience under his belt. A possible contender could be Independiente's Adrian Gabbarini, who had a great season for the Rojo and is an interesting prospect.

Cristian Ansaldi, Clemente Rodriguez and Emiliano Insua are all possibilities to fill the problem full-back slots, which were never really resolved in this World Cup. In the centre, expect a savvier and more streetwise Nicolas Otamendi to become a defensive titan, while Martin Demichelis and Nicolas Burdisso will still be on the scene. Keep an eye out for Boca's Matias Caruzzo, who will be 29 in 2014 and was immense for Clausura winners Argentinos Juniors.

In midfield, if Argentina decide to abandon Dieguitos 'Ataquen ataquen ataquen' mentality and adopt the 4-2-3-1 setup of Spain and Holland, they have two ready made pivot men in Javier Mascherano and Mario Bolatti, who will be 30 and 29 respectively. This will leave Carlos Tevez, Sergio Aguero, Angel Di Maria, Javier Pastore and Lanus talent Sebastian Blanco to fill the 'Lionel Messi plus two more' space in front.
Even though the Argentine team crashed out in the Quarter Finals, a young side with an abundance of attacking talent has every reason to feel confident going into the first South American World Cup since 1978 - where the Albiceleste came out on top on home soil. Current coach Diego Maradona is still umming and aahing his position with the same spectacle and media-friendly soundbites with which he has conducted his entire reign. Whoever is in charge come 2014, however, will find the most pressing worries come in defence - positively calamitous against Germany, there will be more questions posed with the unavailability of Walter Samuel, Gabriel Heinze and Javier Zanetti. The rest of the team will have a rather familiar look to it:Goalkeeper Sergio Romero did nothing to disgrace himself in South Africa, and at only 27 next time around will have more bigtime experience under his belt. A possible contender could be Independiente's Adrian Gabbarini, who had a great season for the Rojo and is an interesting prospect.Cristian Ansaldi, Clemente Rodriguez and Emiliano Insua are all possibilities to fill the problem full-back slots, which were never really resolved in this World Cup. In the centre, expect a savvier and more streetwise Nicolas Otamendi to become a defensive titan, while Martin Demichelis and Nicolas Burdisso will still be on the scene. Keep an eye out for Boca's Matias Caruzzo, who will be 29 in 2014 and was immense for Clausura winners Argentinos Juniors.In midfield, if Argentina decide to abandon Dieguitos 'Ataquen ataquen ataquen' mentality and adopt the 4-2-3-1 setup of Spain and Holland, they have two ready made pivot men in Javier Mascherano and Mario Bolatti, who will be 30 and 29 respectively. This will leave Carlos Tevez, Sergio Aguero, Angel Di Maria, Javier Pastore and Lanus talent Sebastian Blanco to fill the 'Lionel Messi plus two more' space in front.
Up front, Diego Milito will be gone, Gonzalo Higuain will need to prove that he can score goals in the real crunch international games after disappearing against the Germans. The Real Madrid man is still a baby and has plenty of time to prove himself as real world-class; the likes of Ezequiel Lavezzi, Franco Jara, Lisandro Lopez and young Racing man Gabriel Hauche will be more than willing to step in should Pipita fall by the wayside.



World Cup 2014 Objective: Winners